Monkey Business....

Christmas Card Final

2010-12-12T19:03:00.001-08:00

Peppermint Bliss Christmas 5x7 folded card

Create modern Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

It's about that time...

2010-07-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I am under two weeks from being totally done my paralegal certificate. I'm so excited to get my evenings back. I'm really looking forward to going to the park with Ski and the dogs. I'm also looking forward to working around the house. We received a call from DNCREC. Please pray that they are FINALLY coming to fix the debris pit in our back yard. Ski has been on the list for years and then due to lack of funds last year they eliminated the ENTIRE program. July begins a new fiscal year for them - so I'm hoping that they have reinstated the program and will come out to fix it. If so, we're going to FINALLY replace our fence and get a new shed. Secretly, I'm hoping to lay a new patio slab too! :)

I'm crafting like crazy. I just sent out a sock monkey that was ordered MONTHS ago. I really feel bad that it took me that long to get to it. It will be so nice not to have my nights taken up by school. I'm really hoping that I get more custom orders and that I can get an inventory together to do craft shows this fall. It would be nice to have a little extra money coming in. I set up an Etsy page and a Facebook shop page - but really have no inventory for it! I sent a bunch of chapstick holders to work with my mom. I hope she can sell them for me. I also bought some great baby patterns that I'm looking forward to trying.

The family is great. Ski and I are working on getting stuff done around the house. The dogs are great - spoiled as heck...but wonderful. What a relief it will be if we get a new fence. I can let them run and run! I'm hoping to get them swimming sometime this week. I think Otis will love it - Taffy definitely does. Otis plays rough and he's a pitbull and people are CLUELESS how wonderful they are so, I have to be careful when taking him to public places.

I'm still frequenting Crochetville. What a wonderful group of people. I'm loving all the swapping going on. I can't wait to get some more packages out. I'm also working on a top secret project for someone special and their family. I can't wait to get it to them.

Stay tuned for more ramblings...

I'm alive....

2010-05-25T05:47:00.000-07:00

Life has been absolutely crazy lately. I'm sorry I haven't been blogging much. Definitely check out my monkey business page on Facebook to see the crafts I've been making.

I have a paper due tomorrow so tonight is going to be crazy....I'm really enjoying having Stacey back as a professor though. One more class after this one!!

check out this blog - they are giving away a REALLY cool crochet book.

http://shawneett.blogspot.com/2010/05/book-review-giveaway-beyond-square.html

Sign up...if you don't crochet it would be a perfect gift FOR ME! ;) Thanks for stopping by...

Crazy Week!!

2010-04-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'm working hard on filling orders from my Monkey Business site. Check it out if you get a moment! Alesha's Site I love it and wish I could do it full time. I am suffering some hand pain though. really need to rest more. Ski bought me some pressure gloves...we'll see how they work!

Congratulations to Cathy Stevens who won my first contest. She'll be receiving her prize in the next couple of weeks!

I met my favorite author this weekend! Harlan Coben - if you haven't read his work - DO IT! :) More soon.....

Your Chance for 5 more entries into the Monkey Business Contest!

2010-04-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

REMEMBER - you MUST be a follower! There should be a little box on my page showing your name....I will double check this!! :)

E-Mail your answers to WVU_Alesha@yahoo.com - Put BLOG CONTEST in the email heading!

1. What record-breaking hit movie used "A Boy's Life" as a working title to conceal its real subject until the release date?

2. Where was I born? (City)

3. In 'Dirty Dancing' what was Baby's real name?

4. In the movie "The Goonies" what brand of candybar did Chunk try to give to Sloth?

5. Who is my favorite singer of all time?

GOOD LUCK!

Don't forget to e-mail me your answers!

A new venture

2010-04-07T09:58:00.001-07:00

I'm starting a new facebook page to share my creations. I've posted some pictures of some past projects and will be taking custom orders. Please stop by and become a "fan!" Thanks!

Monkey Business on Facebook.

I'm broken

2010-04-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I had really good intentions when I started this blog. I swear - I don't have any speed but fast and I don't know how to say "no" to anyone or anything. I've been fighting a nasty cold for over 3 months now. The cough was so bad I was diagnosed with a broken/cracked rib yesterday. I can't believe it. I finally feel better from the cold and now I'm ridiculously sore from the broken rib. I stayed home from work today to "rest" but all I see is stuff that I keep putting off doing. So, I cleaned the bathroom and started the laundry. My rib hurts so bad that I had to sit down and rest for a while...but it's not easy when I see so much that I want to get done.

School is still going well. I'm really not enjoying this class at all, although things seem somewhat better. I'm taking a make up exam tomorrow. Hopefully I'll feel up to reviewing notes in a little bit. I'm really hoping I make it through this class with my sanity. Next course is with Stacey Sawa again - whom I had for Civil Procedure and loved. I'm not thrilled with taking Contracts - but just knowing Stacey will be teaching is a big relief.

I've been crocheting like a mad woman. I'm obsessed with trying new things. Poor Ski has finally given in to my yarn addiction! ha! I recently finished a "plushie" Mario from Super Mario Brothers for Maddox's birthday. He turned out great if I do say so myself! I just love it. I really want to make some stuff for a girl at work that is having a little girl in August. She shares my crochet addiction. I have a blanket almost finished that I really really want to send to my cousin and their wife who are expecting every day. I swear I have project ADD sometimes. I haven't made a sock monkey in months and I still owe several to Ski's nieces. Hopefully once I make it through this class I'll have more time. I always say that and something always pops up. I'd like to open a online shop for my creations once school is over in August. I really can't wait. Every time I see a new project on Crochetville or Ravelry I get excited at the prospect of trying it. Does that make me a nerd? I just love creating stuff for my friends and family and seeing their reaction to it. My next project is a needle case for the girl at work. I know she wants one and probably won't make one for herself. A fantastic lady on Ravelry sent me a back issue of Crochet Today magazine that has fabulous dinosaur hats I want to make. Wow, I'm rambling.

So, with school, my foster pup Otis and my illness(es?) I really feel like I'm missing out on a lot with my friends and family. Poor Michele has a little one suffering from panic attacks! I can't imagine what could cause something like that in a child so young. I wish there was something I could do to help. Poor thing. Alyssa and Ken recently moved into a new house. I'm super excited for them. I miss their friendship and hopefully someday it will mend. If not, we had some great times and I credit them for my current happiness with Ski and wish them nothing but the best. My poor sister Amy is so stressed with school. I wish there was something I could do to lighten her load. I see her going down the same road as me. Spreading yourself so thin and getting sick. She seems to be getting over whatever ailed her last week. Hopefully come May and her graduation things will be better for her. AmberLee just got back from Vegas (lucky!) where she had a blast with all her 311 Peeps. It's cool to see her experiencing the same kinds of friendships I have found over the years through seeing Tim McGraw. Those girls/guys I met still mean the world to me - even if I'm not traveling to see the MAN anymore. I know they know how much I love them! Ali is kicking butt with school and work. She has grown up so fast it's scary. She's a beautiful girl with a quick whit and smart-ass tongue! :) She's really looking forward to her good friend's wedding coming up next month...oh and the Tyler Hilton concert. ha! My friend April continues to amaze me with her skills as a single mom. Laila is SO lucky to have her and I'm ridiculously proud of her. It was a blessing to be assigned a seat near her in that first class. My cousin Nicole lost her job recently and I can honestly say, I think it's a good thing. I swear she looks so much happier and less stressed. I pray that she finds what she is looking for. I'm super excited that she's back in school. Her eulogy to our grandmother she wrote for class had me in tears. My dad is doing well with his new dog Magnum. We all miss Zeke so much. I still cant' believe he's gone. Dad is doing a great job with Magnum and it was awesome to see him playing with my foster pup Otis. Mom is currently in AC with Aunt Patty and Granny. Hope they are having a blast. It's nice to have a mom who is also your best friend. :) Pop bowled a spare and a strike at Maddox's birthday party. It was amazing to see him doing so well!

Wow, I'm totally rambling. I don't "rest" well. I'll try to be more diligent with my posting and even share a crochet pattern or two. I'll definitely start linking up with some of the fantastic bargain and crocheting blogs that I follow.

Thanks for listening to me go on and on...have a blessed week. I'm off to rest...whatever that is.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!!

2010-02-02T05:28:00.000-08:00

WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!

Here goes nothing...

2010-01-29T05:45:00.000-08:00

So, I'm not the best writer...but I figured a blog would be a great place for me to get things off my chest.

Today's post will be short and sweet because I want to get used to the format.

Quickly, I want to tell you about 3 friends of mine that are amazing photographers.

First, is Katie Faulkner. She is a local photographer here in Delaware. A sample of her work can be found on the left. Taffy and I had a quick session and I am amazed with the results! I have to say, I'm a huge photography fan but that's not what I respect the most about Katie. Katie Faulkner is a CHAMPION for animals. She regularly takes pictures of animals available for adoption at local rescues. She portrays these dogs beautifully. She captures their desires to be loved, their hope that someone out there is waiting just for them, and sometimes she captures such desperation it just tears at your heart. Please check out her work at http://smile4katie.com/ and http://furrbutts.com/ Tell her I sent ya!

Second, I want to tell you about my friend Jonah W.B. Myers. We met as Resident Assistants (RAs) at West Virginia University. Wow, that was "many moons ago." He actually took some shots of me when we were students. I've had the pleasure of watching is talent develop over the years. He is simply amazing. Right now he works in the newspaper industry in WV. He'd like to relocate to Maryland. I'm guessing anywhere from Baltimore, DC, or even the Eastern Shore. It seems there is a special lady he is missing. I'd like to be selfish and say I'd love for him to find a job out here because he'd be closer to me and I really miss my friend! BUT - he's an amazing talent and he deserves opportunities and I truly believe the sky is the limit for him. He'd be closer to his girlfriend and I'd have a friend that has made me laugh through the most difficult of times SO CLOSE! Please let me know if you hear of any opportunities that would nurture his talent. I know he'd appreciate it and I definitely would. Check out his work at http://www.jonahwbmyers.com/ . I have his resume' that I can pass along.

Last, but certainly NOT least, is one of my very best friends Michele Godwin. Michele is newer to the world of photography but her talent is tremendous. I recently hired her to take pictures of another dear friend's wedding and I'm so impressed with what I've seen so far. My friend Alyssa, wasn't going to have a photographer so I immediately called on Michele. Alyssa looked so beautiful and I am so glad Michele was there to capture the big day. Michele is in the process of starting her business. She's done some great shots for people I know, and also my entire family's Christmas pictures. Feel free to contact her at luv2proofuwrong@verizon.net for more information. Check out the firetruck photo - a sample of her work.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. I'm going to mess around with this and see how I like it. I probably won't update much - midterm on Monday. In the meantime, stay warm and thanks for checking out my page!